A Vibrant Seattle Through Transportation Excellence.

This week, I TOTALLY miscommunicated with Seattle Times Traffic Lab reporter Jessica Lee about residential and non-residential speed limits and speed control signs in the City of Seattle. To be clear, if you believe a speed limit sign is posted in error on any street within the city, please call the Seattle Department of Transportation at 206.684.ROAD, or report it on our Find It Fix It App.

Now, should you ever find yourself asking yourself, “What the heck is the speed limit?” Don’t fret! Simply observe the road in which you are driving. You will find the answer there!

If the street has no painted lines or markings, then it is a residential or non-arterial road, which means the speed limit is 20 MPH.

And, if the street has yellow or white painted surface lines or strips, it’s an arterial street, and the speed limit is 25 MPH, unless otherwise posted.

Last year, we reduced speed limits from 25 to 20 MPH on non-arterials and from 30 to 25 MPH on arterials in the Center City. This change is part of Seattle’s Vision Zero effort to end traffic deaths and serious injuries on city streets by 2030. Speed is the critical factor in the frequency and severity of crashes, which is why we’re focused on slowing things down to save lives.

For the record, I apologize for any confusing statements in the Traffic Lab report. If you have any more questions about speed control signs or speed limits, feel free to email me at Mafara.hobson@seattle.gov.

More than 50 people turned out on one of the nicest evenings of the year to join Mayor Ed Murray, District One Councilmember Lisa Herbold, and SDOT and other City staff in Highland Park last week, for the most recent Find It, Fix It community walk of 2017.

We talked with neighbors along the route about recent and upcoming projects to improve mobility and safety for all users in this growing neighborhood, such as a proposed roundabout at Highland Park Way and SW Holden St, that the neighborhood has been requesting for several years.

This summer, our interns will be hitting the streets with levels, tape measures, tablets, and bright orange safety vests to conduct a condition survey of Seattle’s sidewalks, for our SDOT Sidewalk Condition Assessment Project. Seattle has over 34,000 blocks – that’s 2,300 miles – of sidewalks. And while we track information like material, dimensions, planting strips, and curb ramps, more data is key to understanding current and future needs.

We are also reminding Seattle property owners and residents that they are responsible for adjacent sidewalks and maintaining a clear walking path at least 36” wide and 80” high.

That means property owners are responsible for:

Trimming branches of privately owned trees that hang over sidewalks

Clearing bushes or moss that grow into the walking path

Sweeping gravel or other debris

Fixing cracks or more significant damage

As a reminder, it is never okay to park on the sidewalk, or leave your recycling, compost, and garbage containers in the walking path.

If you need to complete more significant repairs involving construction or concrete, refer to SDOT’s Client Assistance Memo 2208, which covers property owner responsibilities and how to obtain a sidewalk repair permit.

Seattle is committed to pedestrian access, but with 2,300 miles of sidewalks which would cost over $5 billion to replace, we have a steep hill to climb. Help us keep Seattle one of America’s most walkable cities, and let us know if you spot an area that needs attention.

Seattle is kicking off Pothole Palooza on Monday, April 17, a campaign to aggressively repair potholes across the city. Beginning today, the Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT) is asking community members to report neighborhood potholes so we can map them out as our Pothole Rangers move throughout the city.

During the campaign, SDOT crews will be assigned to specific districts around the city. SDOT Crews will be joined by crews from Seattle Parks and Recreation who will assist with these efforts.

Potholes occur when street pavement cracks and breaks because of water and vehicle traffic. During winter months, water can cause the material under the pavement to erode, freeze and expand, and then thaw and contract causing the pavement to sink down and break. Many streets, particularly in the outer areas of the city, have a very poor underlying structure, or sub base, which reacts poorly to these conditions. This freeze/thaw cycle can cause the pavement to crack so that it deteriorates quickly under the weight of traffic, and then streets can seem to break out in potholes overnight.

Seattle has had an extremely wet and cold 2016-2017 winter season. Residents typically see more potholes in the winter and spring, following periods of cold temperatures and rain or snow. February and March are when we see the highest numbers of potholes. This past February was the wettest we have experienced in thirty years. For more information about potholes, please visit: http://www.seattle.gov/transportation/potholes/.

More than 50 people turned out to join Mayor Ed Murray, SDOT, and various other City Departments in Wallingford on Tuesday, March 14, for the first Find It, Fix It community walk of 2017.

The crowd gathered at Woodland Park for the Find It, Fix It walk in Wallingford.

SDOT staff enjoyed the opportunity to discuss upcoming projects to improve mobility and safety for all users of Wallingford streets and sidewalks.

Darby Watson, SDOT’s Director of Project Development, talked with the group about a Neighborhood Parks and Street Fund project adding flashing beacons to improve safety near Stone Way and 50th St, a Neighborhood Street Fund project for improved crossings at 40th St and Bagley Ave, a Safe Routes to School project for 41st St and Stone Way to help students at Hamilton Middle School, and the future RapidRide project on 45th St that will improve transit mobility for this busy corridor between Ballard and the UW.

The community walk pauses at 45th.

Joshua Erickson from SDOT’s Urban Forestry division also talked to the group – literally standing on top of a tree stump – about street tree maintenance and plans to improve vegetation in the right of way in this vibrant neighborhood.

Happening just before St. Patrick’s Day and discovering a few needed fixes on the Find It, Fix It walk in Wallingford, residents can now get back to looking for that elusive pot of gold.